Refrigerating apparatus



Dec. 29, 1936. M H 2,066,236

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 28, 1931 lNVENTOR 1 ATTORNEY Patented 1 Dec, 29, 1936 UNITED IsTATss PATENT OFFICE 2,066,236 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Harry F. Smith, Dayton, Ohio, assignor, b me'sne assignments, to General Motors Corporation, a. corporation of Delaware Application February 28, 1931. Serial No. 519,117

7 Claims (or 62-5) larly to provide an improved refrigerating system of the so-called intermittent absorption type..

10 It is also among the objects of my invention to provide improved automatic means for. regulating the cooling of the condenser during the distillation period and for automatically controlling the coolingof the absorber during the absorption 2- period. More particularly, it is an object of my invention to provide a unitary and compactstr'ucture automatically operated, and variable within certain limits-for-eifecting the normal adjustment thereof, for maintaining a predetermined temperature within the evaporator; for

regulating the cooling of the condenser; and for regulating the cooling of the absorber.

It is also amongthe objects of my invention to provide in refrigerating apparatus utilizinga closed secondary system for heating and cooling 2 the generator-absorber, improved means for positively starting. and stopping the heating and cooling. of the generator-absorber;. to providemeans for stopping the circulation withinthe heating and cooling circuit during the heating 30 period independent of the temperature or pressure therein I 1 a Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accom- 35 panying drawing, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing: I I v The figure is a diagrammatic illustration of a system embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing, I have disclosed a refrigerating apparatus of the intermittent absorption type comprising the conventional gen- ,erator-absorber Hi,- connected through the con- 45 duit I! to the condenser coil l2, the condenser in turn discharging through a conduit l3 into the evaporator 14. The evaporator I4 is, of course,

the cooling or refrigerating element and in practice will be locatedwithin the compartment to be cooled, generally designated on the drawings by the dot'and dash lines.

. Means are provided for heating and cooling the generator-absorber I comprising in this'modiflcation a closed circuit fora fluid, or, more spe ciflcally, a liquid, and preferably a volatile liquid such as monofluorodichloro-methane. The circuit comprises a portion in heat exchange rela-' tion with the generator-absorber shown in the form of a jaclretv l6 substantially surrounding the generator-absorber ID. The jacket 16 is connected at its lower end by means of a conduit l'l to the lower part of a compartment it, hereinafter more fully described. At its upper end, the jacket Hi is connected to the upper portion of the compartment l8 by means of a conduit I9. 10

The burner 3|] is located below the jacket 16 being supplied with gas or other fuel through the pipe line 32 provided'with a pressure reducing valve 34. Located within. the conduit I9 is a valve 21 (herein shown diagrammatically since it may take the form of any conventional snap actingthermostatic valve) automatically opened and closed by fluid pressure within the thermostatic circuit 26, the. bulb 29 of which is carried by and is subject to the heat of the burner 30, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

I have provided means for controlling the flow of gas'or other fuel to the burner 30, this means being indicated generally as a snap acting valve 36. of any known type actuated by pressure of a volatile fluid within the thermostatic bulb 38. The generator absorber I0 is provided with a flue 40'extending therethrough and a pocket 42 is welded or otherwise secured within the flue 40 to receivethe thermostatic bulb 38. It should be 30 noted that the valve 36 and the bulb 38 are formed as a unitary structure and may be readily removed from or inserted into the pocket 42 within the flue 40. w I 4 Cooling water for the system enters through the conduit .44 and passing through the valve 46 v I and conduit 48 is conducted through the coil ill,

' located within the compartment l8.

The portion of my apparatus as so far defoliows.' Assume that the generator-absorber I0 is properly charged with absorbent material and ammonia, for example, as disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,791,515; that the closed fluid circuit is charged substantially to the line indicated at scribed may be briefly outlined at this time as 40 A; that cooling water is flowing through the conduit 50; that the temperature of the generatorabs orber is such as to actuate the gas valve- 36 to the open position; and there is some conventional type of pilot light to ignite the burner 30. 50 Fuel will then flow to the burner 30 and will be ignited by the pilot light and will heat the volatile liquid within thejacket Hi. The heat from the burner Ill-will expand the volatile liquid withing the bulb 29, thereby increasing the pressure within the thermostatic circuit 28 to such an extent as to close the valve 21. Heating of the volatile liquid within the Jacket I8 will cause some of the volatile liquid to evaporate, the vapors be- 8 ing trapped above the liquid level indicated at A in the jacket I8. Theincrease in pressure within the jacket I8 will force a substantial portion of the volatile liquid from the jacket I8 up through the conduit Il'into the compartment I8 until the 10 level of volatile liquid within the jacket l8 falls to that indicated by the line B. Continued heating of the jacket I8 will cause further evaporation of the volatile liquidtherein, the vapors condensing upon the sides of the generator-absorber I8 to heat the absorbent material contained therein. The heat of the generator-absorber I8 will liberate ammonia from the absorbent material therein, and the ammonia gas passing upwardly through the conduit II will condense within the conduit I2 and will finally be discharged into the evaporator II. The temperature within the generator-absorber will remain substantially constant until such time as the predetermined amount of refrigerant ammonia has been driven from the 5 absorbent material. At this time the temperature will rapidly increase, expanding the volatile liquid within the bulb 38.to snap the gas valve 38 to the closed position. The thermostatic bulb 29 will now rapidly cool, causing the valve 21 to snap to 9. the open position. The volatile liquid contained within the compartment I8 will, upon the opening of the valve 21, flow downwardly through the conduit II into the Jacket I8 and coming in contact with the hot generator-absorber III will evaporate on the surfaces thereof to cool the contents of the generator-absorber. The vapors will pass upwardly through the conduit I9 to the compartment I8 wherein they will be again condensed by the cooling action of the water flowing through 48 ,the conduit 58. Cooling of the absorbent material within the generator-absorber I8 will, of course, lower the pressure within the entire refrigerating apparatus including the evaporator I4 and consequently the liquid refrigerant. within the 48 evaporator I4 will evaporate, the vapors passing back through the conduit I2, conduit i2, and conduit II to be reabsorbed within the generatorabsorber.

In order to control the operation ofthe ma- ISO-chine, and more particularly to maintain a substantially constant temperature within the evaporator I4, I have disclosed means for controlling the flow of cooling water through the conduit 58 during both the condensing and absorbing periods, 68the controlling apparatus being generally designated by the reference character C. This structure comprises a valve 48 in the water inlet line, or, in other words, on the cold side of the condenser coil 88, actuated by a lever whose pivot 80 point shifts during different periods of the operation of the apparatus. For example, a plate I8 is provided with an opening into'which extends the reduced end or shank I2 of a cage I4, the cage being held securely and removably in place 85 by the nut I8 threaded on the shank I2. Within the cage 14 is provided the water valve 48 having actuating rod I8 extending through an opening formed in the rear wall 88 or the cage I4, the opening being sealed against the escape of water 70 by a bellows 82 having one end secured to the rear wall and the other end secured to the .valve head 84. Water enters the interior of the cage II through the conduit 44 and passes outwardly therefrom through the valve 48.

75 At one side of the water valve the plate I8 is provided with a second opening receiving the reduced end or shank 88 of a second cage 88, this second cage 88 being secured removably in position by means of the nut 98 threaded onto the shank 88. The shank 88 is hollow providing a passage 9I communicating with the refrigerant conduit I3. Within the cage 88 there is likewise provided an operating rod 98 extending rearwardly through an opening formed inthe rear wall 98 of the cage 88, and this opening is similarly sealed against the escape of refrigerant by means of a bellows I88 having one of its ends secured to the rear wall 98 and .its other or movable end secured to the head 94 of the operating rod 98. A

spring I82 surrounds the rod 98 and, having one end bearing against the head 94 and the other end bearingagainst a clip or cover plate I88 secured to the cage '98, normally urges the bellows I88 to its expanded position. The interior of the cage 88 communicates with the conduit I3 leading to the evaporator I I so that'refrigerant may flow from the condenser coil I2 to the evaporator I4 or from the evaporator I4 back into the condenser. On the other side of the valve 88 the plate 18 is provided with a thirdopening into which fits the reduced end or shank I88 of the third cage I82, this-third cage being likewise secured removably in position by means of the nut I84 threaded onto the shank I88. Withinthe. cage I82 is provided a bellows I 88 having its stationary ends fixed to the rear wall I88 of the cage I82. An operating rod III! is secured to the movable .end of the bellows I88 and extends rearwardly through an opening in the rear wall I88. The interior of the cage I82 communicates with a thermostatic circuit 2,. the bulb II of which is secured to the water discharging conduit I I8. The circuit H2 and the bulb II I contain a volatile liquid adapted to'expand and contract the bellows I88.

A second plate I28, spaced rearwardly from the plate I8, ,is provided with two openings aligned with the operating rods 98 and H8 respectively. Rod II8 extends into and slides in one of these openings, an adjustable nut I22 regulating the degree of sliding movement of the rod I I8. Rod 98 likewise extends in the second opening in the plate I28 and a nut I28 regulates the degree of movement of therod 98. -A lever I28 is bifurcated at both of its ends asshown at I28, straddles rod 98 at one end and rod H8 at its other end, engaging the nuts I24 and I 22 respectively. At its center, the'lever I28 engages the rod I8 of the water valve 48.

In operation of my improved controlling device, assume that the heat is being applied to the generator-absorber I8 and that refrigerant from the condenser coil I2 is passing to the evaporator I4. The pressure within the evaporator is at this time relatively high and the'bellows I88 will be compressed to force the rod 98 rearwardly as far as it will move, that is, until the nut I24 engages and presses against the stop plate I28. Water valve 46 will now be in the control of the bellows I88 which is responsive to the temperature of the cooling water leaving the condenser through the conduit II8. As the temperature of the cooling water increases, indicating insuflicientcooling of the condenser, the volatile liquid within, the bulb III will expand, thereby compressingthe bellows I88 to move the lever I28 around the'pivot point (nut I 24) to thereby further open the water valve 88 to increase the flow of cooling water. duction in the temperature of the cooling water A re will indicate the use of too much cooling water and the action of the bellows I06 will be reversed to further close the valve 46 to reduce the flow of cooling water through the coil 50 located with- IS in the compartment I8.

As the distillation period or the heating period for the generator-absorber I approaches the point at which the thermostat 38 is set to discontinue the flow of fuel to the burner 30, the

10 temperature of the cooling water flowing through the coil 50 will gradually decrease, gradually closing the valve 46. After the thermostat 38 has closed the gas valve 36 to discontinue heating of the generator-absorber I0, the vapor valve 21-- will open as previously described. The circulation of the fluid through the closed secondary system, including the jacket I6, conduits I I and I9, and compartment I8, will raise the temperature of the water flowing through the coil 50 thereby again opening the valve 46. The temperature of the cooling water flowing through the conduit II6 will increase to such an extent as to force the rod II0 as far rearwardly as possible, that is to say, until the nut I22 engages the stop 25 plate I20. I

As the cooling of the generator-absorber I0 continues, the pressure within the entire refrigerating apparatus, including the evaporator I4, will decrease causing an evaporation of the liq- 0 uid refrigerant within the evaporator I4. The

vapors will pass from the evaporator IQ back through the conduit I3 to be reabsorbed in the absorbent material within the generator-absorber l0. As the pressure within the evaporator I4 decreases, indicating a lowering of the temperature within the compartment tobe cooled, the bellows I00 within the cage 88 will gradually expand moving the lever I28 about its pivot point (nut 22) to gradually close the valve 46, thereby re- 40 ,ducing the flow of cooling water through the coil 50. The rate of absorption within the generatorabsorber I0 is thereby controlled in response to the pressure within the evaporator I4 to maintain a substantially constant predetermined tem 45 perature within the evaporator I4. Should the temperature, and consequently the pressure, within the evaporator I4 increase, the bellows I00 will be compressed to further open the water valve 46 and thereby increase the flow of cooling to water through the coil 50 to increase the rate of absorption within the generator-absorber I0. The increase in the rate of absorption willirn- I mediately reduce the pressure, and consequently the temperature, within the evaporator I4.

55 It should be noted that the spring I02 surrounding the operating rod 96 is set to maintain the desired pressure and temperature within the evaporator I4. Inorder to provide a slight variation in the working range of pressures and tem- 0 peratures within the evaporator I4, I have provided an adjustable mechanism or cold control, shown in the form of a rotary member I40 threaded upon the rod 96. By rotating the rotary member I40 in a counter clockwise direc- 65 tion, the nut I24 is moved outwardly on the rod 96. This, in effect, lengthens the rod 86 and requires a lower pressure within the cage 88 to stop the flow of cooling water through the valve 46. This adjustment may be made without aifecting 7 the normal adjustment of the spring I02, for

upon turning the rotary member I40 in a reverse direction, the original setting of spring I02 is re-.

stored, thereby returning thesystem to its normal operating conditions. In order to render the apparatus entirely automatlc in operation, any conventional type of V pilot light and automatic control of the flow of fuel due to the accidental extinguishing of the pilot light may be provided. For example, a pilot light-|44 maybe connected directly into the gas 5 supply line and an automatic valve I50 automati cally controlled by the thermostat I52 may also be provided. In this arrangement the thermostatic bulb I54 is subject to the heat of the pilot light to such an extent that as long as the pilot 10 light is on the pressure within the bulb I54 is suflicient to maintain the valve I50 open. If the pilot light should be accidentally extinguished, the pressure within the thermostatic bulb will decrease to permit the valve I50 to close, thereby l5 preventing the operation of the apparatus. The valve I50-is, of course, providedwitha manual adjustment for reopening the valve I50 to again start the apparatus after discovery of the acci-' dental extinguishing of the pilot light. 20

In the foregoing specification and in the draw-' ing, I have described and illustrated an improved absorption system of the intermittent type wherein the heating and cooling of the generator- I absorber is accomplished by means'of a secondary 25 system. Such a system has been illustrated be- 1 cause the automatic control of the heating means and the control of the circulation of the volatile fluid within the secondary circuit is specificto such a. system.

However, it should be understood that the control. means indicated at C is merely an embodiment of specific instrumentalities for illustrative purposes only. Such a control is not limited to the specific type of absorption system disclosed, but may be utilized equally as well on apparatus wherein the condenser'is cooled by one flow of cooling water-and the generator-absorber is cooled by a parallel flow of cooling water. In such a system the water flowing through the valve 46 would be directed through the generatorabsorber during the cooling of the generatorabsorber and the-flow would be, as in the illustrated case, controlled by the expansion and contraction of the bellows I00. During the generating period the water flowing through the valve 40 would be directed through the condenser and i the flow therethrough would be controlled by the bellows I06.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that I have provided an improved absorption refrigerating machine of the intermittent absorption type wherein there are incorporated means for automatically regulating the cooling of the condenser during the generating period; for automatically 55 regulating the flow of cooling water during the absorption period; for automatically conserving cooling water during both the generating and absorbing periods; and for automatically maintaining the temperature within the evaporator substantially constant with provisions for varying this temperature by a slight movement of a lever or rotary device by the user thereof; and particularly means incorporating all of these means in a compact and unitary device.

It will also be noted that-in the speciflc-heating and cooling means disclosed and in the control thereof, that circulation is prevented independent of the pressure thereof and that the operation of the heating means is directly controlled by the conditions within, and specifically the temperature within, the generator-absorber I0.

It should also be noted that in the controlling device C, the various bellows and cages may be v'25 removed laterally by removing the corresponding nuts. a

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a refrigerating system, a generator-absorber provided .with a flue extending. therethrough, means for-heating said generator-absorber, a pocket formed in said flue and a thermostatic valve ior controlling the flow of gas to said heating means, said thermostatic valve being carried in said pocket.

2. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a generator-absorber, a condenser, and an evaporator, means for alternately and intermittently heating andcooling said generator-absorber, means for cooling said condenser, and automatic means for controlling the cooling of the condenser during the heating of the generator-absorber. and for controlling the cooling of the generator-absorber duringthe cooling period. v I

3. Refrigerating apparatuscomprising a generator-absorber, a condenser, and an evaporator, means for alternately .and intermittently heating and coolingsaid generator absorberya conduit for the cooling fluid, means responsive to the temperature of the cooling fluid for controlling the fiow of cooling fluid through said conduit during the heating period, and means responsive to the pressure within the evaporator for controlling the ilow of fluid through said conduit during the cooling of said generator-absorber.

4. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a genorator-absorber, a condenser, and an evaporator,

means for alternately and intermittently heating and cooling said generator-absorber, a conduit for cooling water, a valve in said conduit, means responsive to the temperature of the cooling water for controlling said valve during the heating period, and means responsive to the pressure within the evaporator for controlling said valve during the cooling of said generator-absorber.

5. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a generator-absorber, a condenser, and an evaporator, means for alternately and intermittently heating and cooling said generator-absorber; means for cooling said condenser, means responsive to the temperature of said cooling means for controlling the cooling of said condenser duringv the heating of the generator-absorber, and means responsive to the condition within'the evaporator for controlling the cooling of the generatorabsorber during the cooling period.

, 6. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a generator-absorber, a condenser, and an evaporator, means for alternately and intermittently heating and cooling said generator-absorber, means for cooling said condenser, means responsive to the temperature of said condenser cooling means for 'controlling the cooling of the condenser during the heating period, and 'means responsive to the temperature of the evaporator for controlling the I HARRY F. SMITH. 

